Central African Republic Travel Warning

Description

May 01, 2015The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against all travel to the Central African Republic (CAR). The Government of Chad closed its border with CAR May 12, 2014. Only citizens of Chad returning home will be able to cross the Chad-CAR border. U.S. citizens who have decided to stay in CAR despite this warning should review their personal security situation and seriously consider departing. This replaces the Travel Warning of November 5, 2014, to reflect the risk of remaining in CAR and continued lack of security.

In March 2013, the Seleka rebel group overthrew the government of the Central African Republic. Despite the eventual creation of a transitional government in January 2014, an on-going peace and political transition process, and the presence of international peacekeepers, the security situation remains highly unstable. The sudden outbreak of violence in October 2014 serves as a reminder that the security situation is subject to rapid deterioration. Instability may be heightened as the political transition process unfolds around the upcoming Bangui Forum, constitutional referendum, and elections. Secretary Kerry announced the resumption of limited operations at the U.S. Embassy in Bangui on September 15, 2014. However, Embassy Bangui cannot provide consular services to U.S. citizens in CAR at this time. U.S. citizens in need of routine assistance should contact the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon by email to YaoundeACS@state.gov.

If you seek information about U.S. citizen services in CAR from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services in Washington, please e-mail: CARemergencyUSC@state.gov.

If you are going to live in or travel to the Central African Republic despite this Travel Warning, please take the time to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). By enrolling in STEP, we can keep you up to date with important safety and security announcements. Enrolling in STEP will also make it easier for us to contact you in the event of an emergency. You should remember to keep all of your information in STEP up to date; it is particularly important when you enroll or update your information to include a current phone number and e-mail address in order to receive emergency messages.